Suparna Dutta appeared at a parent’s rights forum in Spotsylvania County just days after Virginia Senate Democrats ousted her from the Virginia Board of Education.
On February 7, 2023, Senate Democrats, including all who represent residents of Prince William County, voted to remove her from the Virginia Board of Education. Last summer, Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed the Indian immigrant to the position to be a voice for parents.
Dutta rose to fame during the coronavirus lockdowns after speaking out against the Fairfax County School Board and its admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which did away with standardized admissions tests based on merit in exchange for a new system accounting for race.
“A parent’s opinion is sorely needed on the Board of Education, and I found out a parent’s opinion is not wanted on the Board of Education,” Dutta told a crowd of about 50 people gathered at the Gourmeltz restaurant.
On Monday, February 20, 2o23, Dutta appeared on stage during Spotsylvania County Parents Rights Forum. Ashra Nomani, who has also gained national attention while protesting Fairfax County Public Schools policies; Matt Strickland, Gourmeltz owner and Virginia Senate candidate in Stafford and Spotsylvania counties; and Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Jonathan Emord, whose running against Senator Tim Kaine (D), joined Dutta at the forum.
An opinion piece published on Real Clear Politics by Nomani accuses several Prince William County prominent community members of lobbying Senators to remove the Indian immigrant. Opponents called the Democrat’s move racist, while supporters said Dutta didn’t have enough experience working in education to serve on the state board.
In a brief exchange with PLN after the forum, Dutta attributed her critics in Prince William County to adhering to Islamic fundamentalism, which “is being imported into Northern Virginia.”
During the forum, Dutta told the crowd Kaine’s wife, Ann Holton, now on her second term on the Board of Education, wants Ronald Regan’s “shining city on a hill” description of the U.S. stripped from history teachings and that the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are not “remarkable” documents because they allowed slavery.
When asked about her comments by WSET-TV, Kaine said her comments were misrepresented.
Since August 2022, the Board of Education has been reviewing the standards of history that will be taught to children from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Strickland is running to represent Virginia District 27, which includes portions of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and Fredericksburg city. He’s facing Tara Durant (R) in a Primary Election, who chose to run for the Senate seat, giving up the seat she won in the House of Delegates in 2021.
“Parents’ rights are being stripped right from under their feet because of bureaucrats who were unelected,” said Strickland, harkening back to the coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered school buildings and led to severe learning loss for students across Virginia.
Strickland encouraged more Virginia residents to pay attention to the 2023 election, telling attendees decisions made by state and local leaders to affect their daily lives more so than those made at the federal level. “I’ve been knocking on a lot of doors, and not many people are paying attention,” added Strickland.
Spotsylvania County School Board Chairwoman Lisa Phelps also attended the forum.
